Super Dimona, Super Ximango and Phoenix U15 (night and IFR rules)

[JFonseca]

Are there any success stories of certifying a Ximango or Dimona for night and IFR flight in EASA? This would be a big plus in favor of these TMGs over Phoenix, but I still didn't find in the internet any success story. I am assuming that for the Phoenix this will never be possible, right? Even flying at gliders altitude I think it cannot be legally done...

I live in Europe, so I am looking for answers under EASA rules.

I fell in love with the Phoenix U15, and when I had my demo flight 2 weeks ago it just confirmed my passion! The plane is almost perfect, comfortable and very easy to fly. I am in hard discussions with the family council (AKA my wife) to get approval to go ahead and buy one. I am not questioning at all the value of the plane, but the price is a bit too high for me, and buying it, if it happens, will be a question of passion and not reason.

A more rational approach, much more affordable but not as good as the Phoenix, would be to buy an used Super Ximango or Super Dimona. The drawbacks are the need for a bigger parking space, more fuel consumption, less performance and more expensive maintenance. The only positive things would be being more affordable, having the same rules as gliders (eg. altitude limitations) and the possibility of night and IFR flying. I am still working on my licenses (ULM, glider and TMG), so only after that I can work on the night and IFR ratings, but I am not planning to buy a plane often, so the plane should be ready to cope with my evolution.

[mikeschumann]

I almost bought a Ximango before I bought my Phoenix.  The folding wing mechanism was way too heavy to be practical for an older person like me.  However, the other complete show stopper was the lack of useful load.  With full fuel you can barely carry to adults without exceeding gross weight, with 0 baggage.  In my Phoenix, with full fuel I can carry two adults and 100 lbs of baggage.

In the US, you can legally fly the Phoenix at night.  IFR flights are prohibited by the POH.  Personally, I would never fly a single engine aircraft in IFR conditions, so this is not an issue for me.

[JFonseca]

5 hours ago, mikeschumann said:

In the US, you can legally fly the Phoenix at night.  IFR flights are prohibited by the POH.  Personally, I would never fly a single engine aircraft in IFR conditions, so this is not an issue for me.

Thanks for your perspective. I know that both Ximango and Dimona solutions to fold the wings are far from ideal. I don't want to fly at night or in IFR conditions, but it would be great that on top of having the plane equipped to do so, if it would be legal and count to maintain the IFR and nights ratings. If I buy one of these, it will most probably be a temporary plane before I buy the Phoenix, so the lack of useful load is not a big issue for me at the moment. When, and if, I can convince my wife to travel with me, then we would definitely need a Phoenix to be able to do weekend trips. 

Until now the only parking place that I found is at a distance of 130Km, and during the winter it has many days that is not possible to fly due to weather conditions. A trailer would be a good solution while I wait for a parking spot closer (the waiting lists are long), but none of the 3 planes are easy for this type of solution

[Thermalseeker]

I'm not familiar with EASA rules, but the Super Ximango, AMT-200S, has as part of the Type Certificate, provisions for night flight. This does not apply to earlier versions. My Ximango, #135, came factory equipped with Nav lights and strobes. If the pilot is appropriately rated it can be flown at night in the USA. Several of the later model Ximangos we had come through our shop also either had Nav lights or had the conduit installed. My understanding is it can also be flown in IMC if you and the airplane are properly rated/equipped. The previous owner of my Ximango, Jim McCann, who was the west coast rep for Ximango USA, told me he had flown my Ximango IFR during the coast to coast flight that was done by a group to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Wright Brothers first powered flight in 2003.